Worth It
by yulchii
Summary: He didn't know how he ended up here but his once dead comrades being alive and a possibility to save the world were certainly worth the life he led until then. The sight of a sane, drooling baby Sasuke and a smiling, unburdened Itachi were quite a bonus.


**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto or anything, really.

 **Summary:** He didn't know how he ended up here but his once dead comrades being alive and a possibility to save the world were certainly worth the life he led until then. The sight of a sane, drooling Sasuke and a smiling, unburdened Itachi were quite a bonus.

 **Author Note:** It's my first fanfic ever. I'm not a native English speaker or whatever and I don't really have a chance to speak English all that much so I decided to write this to improve my language skills. Please, if you see any mistakes, point them out to me so that I can correct them. In doing that, please be kind. I don't know if I will continue writing this, I may or I may not. Thank you for reading.

 **Word Count:** 2936

* * *

~o~

"Why is it always me?" He muttered, defeated. His only response was a loud snort and grumbling about stupid hairless monkeys with no brain cells. He sat heavily in the shallow water and crossed his arms, tucking his chin in the collar of his black turtleneck.

The grumbling stopped and there was only a contemplative silence for a few minutes.

 **"No. You're wrong. The real question is, why is it always _us_? You drag me into every stupid thing you do."** The human flinched as if struck. The giant beast sitting in front of him released a sigh that nearly toppled over his companion and slowly lowered himself down, laying with his paws under his head.

The orange fox looked at his jailor **"So? What now? I can feel our connection getting weaker and weaker with every passing minute. We haven't got much time."** The human curled into himself, trying to make himself smaller. **"Stop it, you cretin. You better tell me what the hell happened?"** He growled, irritation seeping from his body.

The figure opposite him scrunched up his face, eyes closing, a palm closing around his chin and stroking an imaginary beard.

The demon snorted, that ridiculous thinking pose never failed to amuse him. The baleful glare shot into his direction only fueled his quiet chuckles.

"Well, as you know, I started studying the scrolls I found in Uzushiogakure." He fell quiet and his gaze grew distant, thinking about the family he never knew and the village he never heard of from anyone. His companion was willing to wait but the tension was thick in the air so he quickly continued. "There was one of these scrolls... An older one, without a title. I opened it and here we are." He concluded with an oblivious air about him.

The fox palmed his face. **"What happened."** He demanded, exasperated.

"Bright light. Lots of chakra. Then darkness. And then I'm here with you." He explained. He looked around. "What is this place anyway? It looks similar to my mind but it feels different." And indeed it did. It was a green-yellow sewer, and there was also an ankle deep water on the floor but that was where the similarities ended. For one, he slowly noticed that he and Kyuubi were behind closed gold bars where in his mind the red gates were open and, his eyes suddenly sharpened, his friend was bound by chains.

He stood up and stormed over to the chains wrapped around one of his tails. "What the hell?! Kurama! What is happening?! Where are we?! Who did this to you! I will tear them apart!" He yelled with fury, tugging at the chains, examining them and seeking for weakness. There was none. He stopped when the fox started to gently push him with his paw, back and away from the chained tail.

 **"Calm down. I think I know."** He, too, turned his contemplative gaze on the chains. **"I remember these."** He said, slowly moving his tail and jiggling the metal. He didn't say anything for a while.

The human wasn't nearly as patient. "Well? Whose are those?! Whose ass am I going to kick?!" Kurama rolled his eyes.

 **"I don't think you will want to kick this ass, Naruto."** The stubborn blond held his gaze steadily and he sighed. **"It's your mother's."** His jailor's jaw dropped and he looked ready to argue. **"I know, idiot. I know that she's dead but the chains are really hers. And the chakra around… And the mind is hers, too. I can feel it. We're inside her."** He said with a smirk. There was a momentary silence and the blond man slowly turning the sentence over in his head. A few seconds passed and he started to turn a sickly shade of green.

"Kurama, you bastard!" He spat weakly, his green cheeks slowly turning a shocked white. "It's my mother you're talking about!"

The fox snickered mercilessly and pointed out gleefully **"I couldn't joke about that before because you were a complete moron and didn't understand but now that you're finally able to catch my innuendos I don't think I will stop."**

There was a gasp and suddenly the smug air about the fox quickly vanished as he looked down at Naruto. The blond was staring at his feet. Or rather where his feet used to be. They were slowly turning into little bright yellow lights which were drifting up and vanishing his knees.

"Kurama!" He screeched, horrified and started waving his hands like an idiot which he was. "What the hell is happening to me?!"

Kurama tried to placate him **"Just calm down, Naruto. Panicking isn't going to help anyone."**

"The hell it isn't! I'm turning into freaking light bugs!"

 **"Firelies, Naruto."** Was pointed out to him calmly.

"I don't care! Don't you see that I'm _vanishing_ here?! I'm too young to die! My Springtime of Youth is just starting! I didn't have a chance to try all the ramen types! Do something, Kurama!"

 **"If you would just-!"**

"I'm dying!"

 **"CALM THE _FUCK_ DOWN!"** The roar would have frightened any sane human but the one in front of him was anything but. Surprisingly, it worked in silencing the human. **"I think we're in the past. I may be wrong but let's say that we really are. Now, I'm inside Kushina-"** he leered and Naruto barely stopped himself from strangling the idiot **"-and you..."** He focused and nodded to himself **"You won't be born in the near future as I don't feel a baby anywhere..."**

"But that would mean that I don't exist yet! Or at least, the Me of this time doesn't exist! Is that why I'm disappearing?" He questioned, panic making his voice higher.

 **"I don't know. But if it really is the past and if we stay here longer than a few years we may start changing things."** He looked at Naruto's stomach which was slowly turning into the light particles. He grimaced. **"Even if you won't stay or won't remember or won't even be born" he looked into blue eyes "I will make sure to change the world for you."**

There was silence for a few seconds, then "Dawww! You really do care about me! Inside you're really only a softy with _feelings_! You fluffy bastard, you!" Naruto gushed at him and hugged his snot, snickering. The fox closed his eyes in irritation but allowed the hug with false exasperation.

 **"I do not and I'm not."** He grumbled and pretended that the words didn't make him feel all squishy inside.

* * *

~o~

"Kaa-san, may I go out to the park with Menma-nii?" Mikoto glanced down at her nearly four year old son from the glass she was wiping and placed it quickly in the cabinet. He was looking at her with those big, big eyes and a smile.

She looked outside and frowned a little. The sun was already setting, painting the sky in beautiful red and orange colors. She crouched down so she was on his level.

"It's already late, Itachi-chan. It will be dark soon. Maybe tomorrow?" She suggested with a gentle smile. Her son pouted and she barely restrained herself from squealing like a schoolgirl and smothering him with attention and kisses. She still pinched his chubby checks and hugged him tightly while he tried to wiggle out of her grasp.

"He has lessons with Otou-san and then special training with Kagami-oji-sama!" He declared proudly as she finally relinquished her grip on him and ruffled his hair.

She sighed, "I'm sorry, Itachi-chan, but it's too late. Another time?" She tried cheering him up but he only nodded, resigned. She started at the voice that suddenly sounded from the doorway to the kitchen.

"I have a free Saturday this week. I can go with you and Shisui to the park then."

Mikoto sent quick a smile to her nephew. His lips were quirked up slightly and he was gazing at Itachi with amusement. His eyes, normally dark blue, were nearly violet from the red sunbeams streaking in through the window. His hair was as short, messy and dark as always, falling a little in front of his eyes, where he huffed and swept them to the side.

He looked so much like his father in that moment that it took her a moment to tear her wistful gaze away from him.

She patted her son's head and said, "In that case, go clean yourselves, dinner will be served in a few minutes." And while the boys nodded and scampered off, she leaned back against the sink and thought back to the first time she saw her brother's son.

~o~

 _Mikoto knew that Kushina could be a little ramen-stupid sometimes. Well, maybe not stupid, she relented, but obsessed. Yes, that was the right word. Obsessed to the point where she would name a child after a ramen ingredient._

 _She looked down once more at the baby sleeping in the redhead's arms, which cradled the boy as if that was all they were made for. She hid a smile behind a dainty hand, motherly instincts were strong in this one._

 _"_ _Can you tell me why you named my nephew after a ramen topping?" She asked the question serenely._

 _All at once Kushina stopped making funny (dumb) faces at the baby and gained a somber air around her. Mikoto frowned faintly. Be wary when the perpetually happy Uzumaki goes quiet and serious. That wasn't absence of her sister-in-law was quite telling too._

 _"_ _We managed to get her back. Hitomi, I mean. But she was already in a bad state. What with being pregnant and spending nearly half a year in captivity... The Iwa nin aren't-weren't-" she stopped and she looked a little teary-eyed._

 _Mikoto knew what that meant and silently bowed her head. Her sister-in-law was dead. Probably tortured and maybe even raped. She glanced through her bangs at the child, her nephew, and felt her own eyes fill tears, which she stubbornly held in. She gestured for her friend to continue._

 _Kushina took a shaky breath and forged ahead, "She gave birth in the camp and didn't even manage to live enough to name him. And I-" she swallowed, "And I ate ramen before the mission and Teuchi made this honest-to-god-amazing ramen with the bamboo sticks in it and it was freaking delicious and it was the only thing I could think of and nobody was coming up with any names, dattebane! And-and-" she would have rambled on and on with her motor mouth but Mikoto pulled her into a desperate, but gentle, mindful of the baby between them, hug._

 _Kushina returned the embrace with just as much force and the Uchiha matriarch could feel a wet patch on her shoulder, where the tears soaked through her shirt. She didn't point it out because she herself wasn't any better, checks blotchy, nose running._

 _When they finally managed to gather themselves, they were exhausted and red-eyed. But Kushina still mustered a smile and carefully pressed the baby into her friend's hands._

 _"_ _At least it's not Naruto" The Uchiha sighed but Kushina actually paused at this, her expression turning thoughtful._

 _"_ _Now that you mention it-" She started slowly._

 _Mikoto interrupted her quickly, "No. You do not get to rename him." Kushina pouted but Mikoto was no longer paying her any attention. She was looking down at her nephew who has finally woken up and was looking at her with wide blue eyes. "Welcome to the family then, Uchiha Menma."_

* * *

~o~

When her younger twin brother, Mitsuo, passed away, his pregnant wife was captured on her last mission by the enemy shinobi, the leadership of the clan was given to her husband and after him Itachi was supposed to be the next clan head.

But then her nephew was brought into their house and those plans changed. Not that she minded.

Fugaku wasn't opposed to the idea either. He didn't enjoy being a clan head, the elders weren't respectful of someone who will only be a temporary clan head and on top of that Fugaku wasn't even from the main family, she was.

Their marriage was arranged and she gave birth to their first son when she was seventeen and her husband twenty two. Fugaku insisted that he should name their firstborn and she readily agreed. But the moment he dubbed the little bundle in her arms as "Itachi", well... He won't be naming any of their possible future children.

Though many would think that Fugaku was lucky to be in the position of power even if only to the moment when Menma was at least a chunin, that wasn't true.

It was a lot of work and responsibility and paperwork. On top of that, he was already the head of the Military Police, he was quite glad that he wouldn't have to be in charge for much longer.

Of course, many would argue that handing the leadership to his son would have the same result as handing it to his nephew. They would be wrong. They were still children but Mikoto and Fugaku could see... Something special in Menma. Their son was special too, there was no doubt about it, but he was unsuitable. Menma was... Well, Fugaku knew that his nephew could handle it. He had a mindset for it. A charisma, that Fugaku himself didn't possess.

Mikoto knew that and Fugaku knew that, too. Menma was born to be in charge, to rule, to give orders.

Their son, on the other hand, was not. But it wasn't a great tragedy. He _could_ be a leader but he didn't have a natural charisma. And on top of that, they suspected that he wouldn't want to.

And Mikoto was glad, _so glad_ , that her child (maybe even children,in the future) wouldn't be under as much pressure as she knew the clan will put on her nephew, was already putting on him.

He was almost four years old now and he the elders were discussing his early admission into Academy. She knew it to be done before and usually the shinobi who were introduced to the world at such a young age turned out to be amazing and incredibly skilled shinobi, perfect soldiers for the village. But those died young, really young. And if they somehow survived throught puberty, they were usually too damaged to fit properly into society.

She didn't want for it to happen to him but she was selfish. She already gave him away. The clan could have him but her children were her own and she would raise them as she sees fit. At least they would have childhood. Though her nephew never seemed to mind all the lessons, the meetings and training. He was a hard-worker, everyone knew it.

She would have done something about the pressure the elders were putting him under but he dealt with it better than she thought she ever could.

As everyone knew he was always doing his best, Menma was well-liked. Adding his helpfulness, his open personality and charisma, he was adored by the whole clan. Even by the elders, who Mikoto thought weren't able to ever muster a smile on those wrinkly, sour faces. The whole time she knew them, they always looked as if someone made them eat whole lemons every day. But they were more relaxed and all around nearly better people with Menma around. Even with the Third Shinobi War raging outside the Village's walls.

He was slowly changing them. And as the thought crossed her mind, she found that she didn't mind at all.

Mikoto always thought Menma was different. The boy was a little too sharp, his actions a little off, the look in his eyes a little too old.

Of course, at first she dismissed it as him being a prodigy but soon, after looking at her own son, she learned it was something else.

Itachi was curious about everything, he wanted to know, wanted to see, touch and smell everything. Itachi was smart but he was still just a child, if more perceptive than the others were.

On the other hand, her nephew was not. He knew much more that he should and is more mature than some people her age -cough-Kushina-cough.

After a few years of observing him she dubbed him an old soul and carefully left it at that. If there was something he wanted to say, she would be there to listen.

* * *

~o~

A small, shadowed figure was staring out the window at the night sky. He glanced down at his pale hands, his small, pudgy fingers clenching into little fists. His face was set into a determined frown, eyes once more drilling holes into the moon. When he spoke, his voice was quiet but full of promise.

"Only a little while longer, Kurama."

* * *

~o~

The fox stirred behind the bars of his prison and slowly opened his eyes. He slowly pulled himself into a sitting position, his nine tails waving peacefully behind him. He blinked a few times and cocked his head to the side, like a curious bird, listening to something.

Suddenly, his black lips pulled back into a grin, revealing the large, razor sharp teeth. He chuckled, the rumbling sound echoing around him. Lowering himself to the ground again, he laid his head on his crossed paws and relaxed, the tension clinging to his entire humongous form disappearing slowly but surely.

 **"I will be waiting. Don't take too long, Naruto."** His murmured reply was quiet and full of anticipation. They will soon see each other again and finally put his long thought out plan into motion.


End file.
